Finntroll was born by half-accident at a Helsinki-based rehearsal room in 1997, when two drunken friends, guitarist Somnium (1977–2003) and vocalist Katla, started experimenting with an alluring fusion of black metal riffs and Finnish “humppa” rhythms. With an added boost of folk melodies, fierce drumming, and poetic Swedish lyrics, they quickly managed to create their own unique musical style and antichristian trollish folklore.

Their highly original debut album “Midnattens Widunder” (1999), featuring a full line-up of Teemu “Somnium” Raimoranta, Jan “Katla” Jämsén, Samuli “Skrymer” Ponsimaa (guitar), Trollhorn (keyboards), Samu “Beast Dominator” Ruotsalainen (drums) and Sami “Tundra” Uusitalo (bass), was an underground hit, which paved the way to the future success.